Evan Rachel Wood: The gender pay gap is 'staggering'

Evan Rachel Wood says the difference between men and women's wages in Hollywood are "staggering"

Evan Rachel Wood finds the disparity in wages for men and women in the film industry "staggering".

The 'Thirteen' star was married to fellow actor Jamie Bell from 2012 to 2014 and was shocked by the difference between their pay.

When asked if she has experienced the gender wage gap first hand, she said: "Oh my God, so many times. I've dated and was married to an actor [Jamie] and there was transparency there in our salaries. It was staggering, the difference. Even with people I feel like I'm on par with, the difference is miles away from each other."

The 28-year-old actress remembered one particular film, where she was given the lead role opposite an actor who didn't have any credits in the industry.

She added: "There's me working consistently since I was three or five years old, and I work hard, and yet they weren't going to give me top billing because I wasn't a man. I've had to start turning down roles because they won't pay me enough."

However, Evan doesn't think people have a problem with female-driven films because Hollywood is a "male-driven world" where a lot of decisions are made "mainly by men".

She told motto.time.com: "Well the funny thing is, I don't think people have a problem [with female-driven films]. I think it's assumed because it's a male-driven world and lots of entertainment decisions are made mainly by men. We're getting better about it but the misconception that if it's female-driven, you're gonna alienate people."